The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hi all. Filbert has been appearing most often on Sundays lately, but he’s here in my blogging spot again today. I found it actually more of a Sunday-level difficulty than recent Filberts have been. Enjoyment level and clue quality, however, were as expected. (High, for the avoidance of doubt!)
My picks today are the police taking ecstasy in 14d and the amorous politician at 18d. Thanks Filbert!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Floater second in this seconds behind first to show? (4,6) |
| POOH STICKS — POO (floater) + the second in tHis followed by TICKS (seconds) after (behind) the first letter of (first to) Show | |
 |
|
| 7a | More or less potty don (4) |
| CAPO — CA (more or less) + PO (potty) | |
| 9a | Leisure time after priest’s last afternoon service (3,3) |
| TEA SET — EASE (leisure) and T (time) after priesT’s last | |
| 10a | European put waste pipe back on bath (8) |
| SPANIARD — Reverse (put … back) DRAIN (waste pipe) by (on) SPA (bath) | |
| 11a | Designer’s private commemorative event curtailed twice by church (6,7) |
| GIANNI VERSACE — GI (private) + ANNIVERSAry (commemorative event) without the last two letters (curtailed twice) + CE (church) | |
| 13a | Mother wearing a dress rather than trousers for the high street (4,4) |
| MAIN DRAG — MA (mother) + IN DRAG (wearing a dress rather than trousers) | |
| 14a | Squeeze water out of a thousand fish (6) |
| MANGLE — M (a thousand) + ANGLE (fish) | |
| 15a | Limited by shortfall, is someone able to change supply? (6) |
| LISSOM — The answer is in (limited by) shortfalL, IS SOMeone) | |
| 17a | Part of song currently going around (2,3,3) |
| IN THE AIR — Two meanings | |
| 19a | Fix sticker on chic patient undergoing treatment (8,5) |
| NICOTINE PATCH — ON CHIC PATIENT anagrammed (undergoing treatment) | |
| 22a | Find there’s no head on English coin, shocking (8) |
| INDECENT — Missing its initial (… there’s no head on), fIND + E (English) + CENT (coin) | |
| 23a | Jolly dictator beheaded in self-inflicted blunder (6) |
| OUTING — Having removed the first letter (… beheaded), pUTIN (dictator) in OG (own goal: self-inflicted blunder) | |
| 24a | Live theatre something you’re partial to? (4) |
| BENT — BE (live) + NT (theatre – the National Theatre) | |
| 25a | Unruly youth unhappy given vase to hold refused (6,4) |
| TURNED DOWN — TED (unruly youth) and DOWN (unhappy) around (given … to hold) URN (vase) | |
| Down | |
| 2d | I’m done talking balls (4) |
| OVER — Two definitions, from radio communications and cricket respectively | |
| 3d | Sackcloth smeared in ashes (7) |
| HESSIAN — An anagram of (smeared) IN ASHES | |
| 4d | Bird regularly sat near strange stinky flower (5,4) |
| TITAN ARUM — TIT (bird) + regularly sAt NeAr + RUM (strange) | |
 |
|
| 5d | One arranging actor’s credit in lead for Gladiator? (7,8) |
| CASTING DIRECTOR — This is anagramming (arranging) ACTOR’S CREDIT IN with the first letter of (lead for) Gladiator | |
| 6d | Insertion of long key? (5) |
| SPACE — A cryptic definition: the insertion produced on pressing the long key (space bar) on a keyboard | |
| 7d | Trick to keep lips red (7) |
| CRIMSON — CON (trick) containing (to keep) RIMS (lips) | |
| 8d | Bars over entrance left copper climbing window ledge (10) |
| PORTCULLIS — PORT (left) + CU (copper) + going upwards (climbing) SILL (window ledge) | |
| 12d | French lady worried air is cracking pasta (10) |
| PARISIENNE — An anagram of (worried) AIR IS inserted into (cracking) PENNE (pasta) | |
| 14d | Police force enjoyed taking Ecstasy, as change from heroin (9) |
| METHADONE — MET (police force) + HAD (enjoyed) + ON E (taking Ecstasy) | |
| 16d | Like that duck, prepare to lay eggs without delay (7) |
| SOONEST — SO (like that) + O (duck) + NEST (prepare to lay eggs) | |
| 18d | Randy Conservative got out of trousers (7) |
| EXCITED — C (Conservative), which EXITED (got out of) takes in (trousers) | |
| 20d | Italian trains turned up, going nowhere (5) |
| INERT — TRENI (Italian trains – Italian for trains) reversed (turned up) | |
| 21d | Son landed upside down in fall on slopes? (4) |
| SNOW — S (son) + WON (landed) (upside down) | |
A few unknowns for me. Couldn’t remember Versace’s first name. Never seen MAIN DRAG (seems to be mainly a US term). Have seen a TITAN ARUM (on TV) but didn’t know its name. Didn’t know the Italian for ‘trains’ (but not so different from the Spanish).
The blog for 25a should have DOWN not SAD.
Oops, no idea why I was SAD. Will fix now, thanks.
Surprised to see Filbert a day early but with the Guardian Prize finished earlier than par I was very glad.
Liked POOH STICKS and GIANNI VERSACE (who’s first name escaped me-or may never have been known). A few unknowns TITAN ARUM for example but got there from the word play.
Had PLAY instead of BENT for an age which was the only hiccup for me.
Thanks Kitty and Filbert.
I liked SNOW and POOH STICKS. PARISIENNE took me ages as I thought pasta was going to be the definition. Sometimes when a setter changes regular date, there is a theme involved, but, if there is, I can’t see it. Thanks for the illustrated blog and the absorbing puzzle.
Was surprised to see Filbert today, can’t see any reason why it’s bumped to today unless tomorrow’s has a date related theme. Thanks both enjoyed it but feel I’m missing something
Thanks both. For me, this was at least the normal level of difficulty for a Filbert, but completely agree it was of the usual high standard. MANGLE especially as a verb amused me – who says crosswords haven’t modernised? Didn’t know TITAN ARUM, and there are plenty of birds and flowers to select from. A rare thumbs-down was for INERT – translations form foreign languages should be verboten!
This was more approachable than some Saturdays, for me at least… enjoyed it and even spotted some of the deviousness on first reading. Particularly liked MA IN DRAG… also PORTCULLIS (such a great word!) cropped up yesterday, so was fresh to hand. Not sure I’d take any umbrage at the Italian trains, solvers are often asked to delve into French n German, n Italian is a more beautiful language than either of them, IMHO…
Grazie Filbert n Kitty
Treni was not a problem here, my brother lives in Sardinia and is a train nut so the Italian for train was a write in. However if someone was to clue the Czech word for impossible, I might have a problem. 🙂
Such a great puzzle. In addition to Kitty’s favourites I might add 25A TURNED DOWN for the funny surface – but if you read them as normal sentences many of them are amusing. Thanks to Filbert and Kitty.